It’s hard to talk about Dragon Age: The Veilguard without addressing the proverbial elephant(s) in the room. BioWare has had some major stumbles with its last few releases and it’s natural to have some reservations about their return to Thedas.
This game has been fighting an uphill battle in its pre-release period thanks to a questionable reveal trailer and a relentless campaign from its detractors. It’s enough to make even the staunchest franchise fan doubtful.
Thankfully, after 63 hours of navigating Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s world, story, and RPG systems, I’m happy to say that any reservations I had about the game have been thoroughly destroyed. It’s not a flawless journey but the minor imperfections present don’t do too much to detract from one of 2024’s best RPGs.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard screenshots & details
- Price: $59.99 US, £69.99 UK
- Developer: BioWare
- Release date: October 31, 2024
- Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
- Reviewed on: PS5
The demons are in the details
What surprised me the most about my lengthy first playthrough was how well it struck a balance between rewarding longtime fans of the franchise and remaining accessible to newcomers. The game is jam-packed with references to previous games in the series for eagle-eyed enjoyers of Dragon Age lore but the narrative and setting are laid out in a way that offers context for first-timers.
A big part of this comes from the decision to take players to the Tevinter Imperium in the northern reaches of Thedas. Placing those familiar with the world in an area that has been largely unexplored in previous entries puts veterans and journeymen on equal footing.
The story begins by directly following up the events from Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC but a recap from a franchise staple gets anyone unfamiliar with that tale up to speed. You’re Rook, a hiree of Varric who’s hot on the trail of Solas (or the Dreadwolf if you prefer) in hopes of stopping a ritual that will devastate the entire world.
Your attempts to foil him result in the return of ancient elven ‘gods’ Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain who are a terrifying threat, even by Solas’ standards. In true Dragon Age fashion, taking these two despots down requires the assemblage of a rag-tag band of companions who will become the titular Veilguard.
What follows is an epic tale of family and apocalyptic struggle that manages to continuously raise the stakes. Many key narrative beats in the early and mid-game wouldn’t feel out of place as the climax to other RPGs but they’re just tasters of what’s to come.
Of course, the most important factor in how your journey as the player character Rook progresses is how you navigate the forging of bonds with your (mostly) new companions.
Getting the band together
Dragon Age: The Veilguard offers one of BioWare’s most memorable casts yet and if you’re familiar with some of the developer’s more beloved works, you know what a big deal that statement is.
Throughout the primary questline, you’ll stack the Veilguard with seven distinct companions. Each has their own background and issues to resolve and you can choose how much, or how little, you want to focus on them.
What makes this group so special is that during my own playthrough, I struggled to set any one member of the group aside for the sake of another. Whether it’s the possessed assassin Lucanis, the cynical private investigator Neve, or the gentlemanly necromancer Emmrich, each of the Veilguard are remarkably fleshed out over the game’s main story.
While certain characters may feel like they occupy fairly standard or stereotypical archetypes at first, if you take the time to pursue their individual questlines or engage in side activities with them, almost all of them reveal that there’s far more to them than you might surmise via an initial introduction.
The reward for investing the time and effort to explore and develop your relationship with the members of the Veilguard is twofold. You’ll be treated to some terrific character writing and add some new favorites to your roster of favorite video game characters, as well as progressing each of them into formidable allies in combat.
The familiar and the fresh
Much like the game’s narrative, Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s gameplay strikes an interesting equilibrium between the trappings of its predecessors and some bold new changes in direction. The game’s comprehensive character creation options have been discussed to death in preview coverage including our own.
It’s a dramatic improvement over Inquisition’s but the most important elements of this system will strike a chord with longtime fans. Veilguard employs a system similar to Dragon Age Origins and Inquisition to determine a backstory for your character.
Your race, class, and most importantly, your faction, will dictate your backstory. There are six factions to choose from and all of them have a presence in the game’s world. Each of your companions is tied to these factions in some way and your choice will impact your relationship with them and other characters who are aligned with them.
While this sort of origin is well-trodden ground for those familiar with Dragon Age, what follows may not be. The Veilguard eschews the open worlds of its predecessors in favor of an open-zone style of play that may seem more linear at first. Once the introductory missions are out of the way, however, you will find yourself crisscrossing the realm of Tevinter and frequently returning to areas to explore further.
Where Dragon Age: The Veilguard departs the most from what came before is in its combat and RPG systems. This may be worrying to fans of previous games who prefer the more strategically focused combat of Origins or even the MMO-inspired fare of Inquisition.
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Bringing explosions to a sword fight
The game leans heavily into an Action RPG style of combat that relies heavily on animations and reactions. This feels far better in the hand than it may look in footage.
There were initial concerns that only having four mappable skills may be more limiting than Inquisition’s eight, however, this was ultimately unfounded thanks to how impactful your base suite of combat mechanics is.
Gone are the days of investing skill points in key defensive options. The series’ three classic classes (Warrior, Mage, and Rogue) all have innate defensive options that take the form of dodges, parries, and in the Warrior and Mage’s case, a held guard.
They also all come instantly equipped with a ranged attack option, making Veilguard’s combat feel immediately satisfying. There are enough options from the beginning of your journey that the first 6 hours of the game don’t become a tiresome grind to unlock enough skills for a full kit.
The game’s skill trees are far more expansive than previous options and while you will unlock flashier mapped skills to help solidify your build identity, smaller nodes in the tree can help turn basic abilities like a parry or a ranged attack into powerful combat options that rival your mapped options.
The strategy of older titles is not entirely gone either. While you can’t swap to your companions, you can pause combat and go into a tactical mode that allows you to govern their actions and target enemies with skills.
You can use this to take advantage of a Primer and Detonator mechanic similar to later Mass Effect titles or Anthem. Both your skills and your companions will apply certain ailments or Detonate others for big damage and other effects depending on skill investment.
Each of your companions has their own skill trees and you can augment their abilities to deal more damage to certain enemy types, change their elemental damage, increase Detonation damage, and more. Acquiring skill points for companions is done by leveling up your bond with them through quests and an approval system during dialogue.
In this way, Dragon Age: The Veilguard manages to blend its stellar character-driven narrative, expansive RPG systems, and engaging combat mechanics into a near-perfect package. So, why near-perfect?
Grinding my gear
The one gripe with how character progression shakes out is the frustrating gear system. The crafting mechanics are simple enough but can lead to some exploration punishment.
If you fail to explore the correct areas – some of which are only available during a single quest – you may never be able to make a desired piece of gear viable.
Ultimately, if you are a fan of the Dragon Age franchise for its memorable characters and engaging storytelling, Dragon Age: The Veilguard should scratch an itch for you. If you fell in love with the series for its slower and more strategic combat, the shift to this more action-oriented style may be a frustration.
If you have never touched the series, the game does a solid job of introducing players to the world of Thedas. If you enjoy fantasy tales, expansive and immersive worlds, or tight reaction-based gameplay, you’ll find something to enjoy here.
The Verdict: 4/5 – Very Good
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Tactical combat | Frustrating gear system |
| Character-driven storytelling | Exploration priority |
| Beginner friendly |
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a stellar achievement for BioWare that ends a decade-long dry spell. It tells one of the best stories in the series fuelled by some of its most memorable characters. It should be noted that the developer’s famously average facial animations did rear their ugly head at some points. Though, not enough to count on more than one hand.
While the new action combat may feel foreign to some, they have been expertly crafted by the development team to provide satisfying moment-to-moment play. My playthrough was free of any noticeable performance issues or framerate drops.
BioWare has provided an immensely polished experience and made a confident statement that it can still provide an exceptional single-player adventure.